Merits

All posts tagged Merits

A few days ago, BM, a reader and a friend from Davao, who regular readers of this blog would be familiar by this time, asked me about this year’s Hungry Ghost Month. She wants to know whether it is going to be particularly bad. If you look at the relation of the coming of the Hungry Ghost Month with the flying star of August and September, the effects should not be very bad, and so I told her that this year’s Hungry Ghost Month although we should still be very careful is not in any way particularly stronger unless you are born in the year of the Horse, Snake or Sheep.

However, when I said this I was really busy and haven’t really taken the time out to look at formation of the stars thoroughly, and so I was greatly surprised that during one of my business meetings, one of my clients who knows that I’m a Feng Shui writer asked me about the effects of the lunar eclipse. I was surprised because of my busy schedule I didn’t even realized that we just had a lunar eclipse, albeit a partial one. But of course this had me worried already, because every lunar eclipse is definitely followed by solar eclipse, and when I checked I found out that it would be a total solar eclipse!

Now whether we see the solar eclipse here in Asia or not is irrelevant because the effects is definitely worldwide.

I have written in previous articles that an eclipse is almost always a bad omen. This is whether the eclipse is solar or lunar. For this year’s solar eclipse, what makes it dreadful is that it happens on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Month, and I have never ever recalled than an eclipse happening on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Month, and this is most certainly an indication that something big either worldwide or to several countries will happen during the Hungry Ghost Month or will start during the Hungry Ghost Month.

In my annual forecast, I said something might happen on the 3rd quarter of this year, and this full solar eclipse on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Month seems to have validated this forecast, and so all of us have to be careful and take extra precaution. It will also greatly help if we can include in our prayers or dedication of merits our countries, the welfare of this world, and also the leaders of this world and of our countries.

On a personal level, it is best to stay indoor during the actual eclipse, and is also highly advisable to wear the Kalachakra Pendant, or carry the Vajrapani Ruel with a Chung Kwei. This is because this phenomenon also has the power wreak some bad luck in our lives. Financial problems might occur especially to those who are in the midst of big transition, or worst health or safety issues might arise especially to those who whose job or lifestyle is already putting them at risk more than a normal person is and definitely those who are already sick.

Regular readers of this blog knows that I hate being a messenger of doom, but this is something that we really need to face and be ready for. And as I always say, the reason we know these things in advance because we can do something about it.

TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE HUNGRY GHOST MONTH, HUNGRY GHOSTS, IT’S EFFECTS, RITUALS AND PROTECTION READ THE FOLLOWING HUNGRY GHOSTS SERIES:

It is so ironic that some people will use the name of a god or a Buddha or a Bodhisattva to curse some people, thinking that it will make it more powerful or thinking that they are right to do this.

Saying – MAY GOD / BUDDHA / BODHISATTVA PUNISH YOU! – Is actually creating bad luck for the one who utters it and not for the one who receives the curse! And yes, saying that a person should be punish is a curse because it creates an energy of suffering for the one you hate, but unfortunately since you are the one who directed that kind of energy using the name of a God or a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, it will bounce back to you. Not because they will punish you instead but because the law of karma indicates that using a holy being for your evil desires will make that energy bounce back to you.

I cannot speak for the Christian or Muslim God, but in Buddhism, the Buddha or Bodhisattva are compassionate beings who are incapable of feeling anything negative. It’s all about compassion. In fact, when we do something wrong they through the merits that we generate will save us from hell or a bad rebirth (if we have enough merits). They never punish us.

When we suffer, when we have bad luck, that is because the law of karma. The Buddhas or Bodhisattvas has nothing to do with it. It’s part of the law of the universe where it is not controlled by the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.

Obviously, karma is a very complicated topic. The Buddhas or Bodhisattvas has nothing to do with it, although they can help save us from some bad karma if we have enough good merits or if they shower upon us some blessings. Wearing their images or amulets is a ways of earning those merits. But they will never put upon us some negative karma to let us suffer. If we do something wrong, it is our own karma to pay. It can’t be passed on to us.

Having said that, and going back to the topic, cursing for somebody to be punished or suffer using the name of Buddha or Bodhisattva will only create negative karma on the person who wishes it!

Tomorrow Feb. 11, 2017 or the 15th day of first lunar month of the year 2017 (Year of the Fire Rooster) is an auspicious day except for people born under the sign of the Pig, which is actually their ‘conflict’ day.

Anyway, tomorrow Feb. 11, 2017 (15th day of the Lunar Month of 2017) is the first full – moon day of the lunar year. On that day, you can invoke the help of the God of Joy and God of Wealth. By making a simple ritual.

Before 9AM, you should face northeast, where the God of Joy is said to be on that day, light some incense and simply say a short wish. Then place the incense on a small incense burner. Then face south, which is where the God of Wealth is then light some incense, then say a short wish. Then place the incense on a small incense burner.

Note: Use red incense sticks. 3 sticks will do. The incense burner can be a small bowl filled with salt or rice. You can still use the rice for cooking but the salt should be thrown away.

Sincerely doing good things tomorrow will double the merit for good karma or blessings.

However, tomorrow we will also have the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. This is an eclipse when the Earth’s shadow will block part of the sun’s ray from reaching the moon, thus making the moon slightly darken than usual. This is an inauspicious event, and in a way it serves as a warning to us that this year’s bad energies will come mostly from Earth, meaning those are manmade. However, the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse may also bring in some energy, so it is better to be indoors when it happens. This particular eclipse is not as bad as other eclipse in the sense that it doesn’t completely block out the borrowed yang energy (light) of the moon from the sun, but it will still have some bad effect, so those people who have a somewhat bad forecast this year should absolutely be indoors when this happens.

Note: Most of you, especially if you practice Feng Shui, you would know that any eclipse will have some negative effects because it is when the Yin wins over the Yang!

It is also best to keep your lights open and if possible wear your amulets. I for one, whenever there is an eclipse, I always make sure that I’m protected and have my Vajrapani Ruel with me.

Late last year when I wrote about my analysis of the Bazi Chart or Paht Chee Chart of 2016 Year of the Fire Monkey, one of the things I wrote is the big possibility of a financial crisis. In that particular article, what will precipitate the said crisis will happen either the first part or the middle part of the year, but that the crisis will start to happen either middle of the year or last part of the year. Last June, US$ 1.00 is approximately around Php 44.00, and now it is (as of writing) Php 49.95, the highest is more than 8 years, and the first time to steadily jump up after more than 10 years. In another post, which I have decided will not be shared again; I also insinuated the cost of this financial crisis, at least, for our country.

If you look at the trend, US $ to Php should have started going down already because of the OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker)remittances, but on the third week of November it still continues to rise. Hopefully, it will still go down on December given that the OFW remittances are coming in, but even if goes down, it seems that it will jump up again coming January. I’m sharing this because we all need to get ready for this. I haven’t checked the bazi chart for the year 2017, and will do so soon and share with you my analysis as soon as possible.

Having said that, I will like to clarify that this is not a political post, and so I refrain from making assumptions as to what is causing the continues decline of the Philippine peso, but this I will say while the middle class to upper class are not yet feeling the effect of this financial crisis, we should not be blind to the ones on the lower income bracket who has taken a hit already.

In the past 3 months, I came across two former VIP bodyguards who is now an Uber driver or applying to be a driver. Their concern is that a lot of foreign investors have left the country or have downsized, and of course, not so many foreign VIPs are in need of bodyguard. Another reader also emailed me. Her son apparently works as a call center agent, but several smaller call center agencies have close shop, they are smaller but each one still have about 300 call center agents, not to mention janitors, guards, and non – call canter agent employees.

I’m sharing this because it is important that each one of us prepare for this financial crisis, if indeed it will become a full-blown crisis and I’m not saying it will. Although, I forecasted it, like the Yolanda forecast, the Nepal earthquake forecast, this is something that I’m not proud of nor I’m happy that my forecast has been vindicated.

I’m sure each one of us can do something. We can start of by supporting the good that our government is doing but we should also rally against the things that we perceived are wrong. When I say rally, I mean we should let our voices be heard in a non – violent and non – confrontational manner. Let’s email the government, let’s share our thoughts, and let us be the change, the improvement that we so desire to see.

And of course, do not forget the power of prayers, of going to church or temple, of lighting candles and incense and dedicating its merits for the financial improvement of the country, let us chant -a – mantra or recite – a sutra.

On a personal level, we should start protecting ourselves. Save up, invest properly, carry a powerful amulet like the Vajrapani Ruel or now the traditional sutra amulet like THE DIAMOND SUTRA and / or THE SUTRA ON THE PAST VOWS OF EARTH STORE BODHISATTVA, these amulets doesn’t become available now for no reason, they always become available at the right time.

If you wish to know more about the Sutra Amulet (A Special Recite – A – Sutra Article) Series you can click on the links below:

Ire, Loves Well, obviously the Chinese ‘All Souls Day’ or day of remembering the dead doesn’t happen in November 1, or to be more accurate about it on November 2. All Saints Day / All Souls Day is a big deal for a lot of Filipinos and perhaps Catholics in the world. But is there is Feng Shui significance or relevance to this special day?

For Chinese, especially those who are in the older generation, it is very important that we remember our ancestors or loved ones who passed away, this is taken as a sign of respect but at the same time, it is believed that we should not earn their ire by forgetting about them, or we should earn their approval so that they can help shower blessing upon the living. This is why remembering our loved ones or dead ancestors are important part of the life of a Chinese. In fact, a lot of us have images of our ancestors in our home, where we light incense and offer food on special occasions. The older generation will offer incense everyday. This may be a little too excessive.

In Buddhism, according to the Medicine Buddha Sutra, when a person dies his or her consciousness will undergo rebirth within 7 days or 21 days or 35 days or 49 days. I will clarify that it will go through rebirth on the first day, it will have to wait for 7 days, then if you didn’t go through rebirth on the 7th day then on the 21st day if not then it will be 35th day, until 49th day. If you don’t go through rebirth in the first 5 stipulated days, then you will sure go rebirth on the 49th day.

But rebirth doesn’t necessarily mean rebirth here on earth as human.

There are different levels of possible rebirth and starting from the bottom they are the following:

Hell

Hungry Ghost

Animal Kingdom

Human

Asura

Heavenly Beings

Arhat

Pratyekabuddha

Bodhisattva

Buddhahood

The first six are considered as the lower realms wherein the being still has an attachment and the last four are considered as the upper realm wherein the being or our consciousness no longer has any attachment. Once one is born in the upper realm, his or her consciousness no longer goes back to any of the lower realm.

It should be noted that for Catholics or Christianity, heaven is the ultimate goal, for Buddhism is a better place than the first five but it is still a place where in desire and attachment exist and one can still go down to the other realms. It is also not the most desired realm. I will talk about the 10 realms further in a future post.

I will also discuss the difference between Hungry Ghost and the Hell in another post.

But for now what I want to show is that for Buddhism, one can be born in different realms, until we reach Buddhahood.

So when a person dies, his consciousness or soul as Christians would call it will be born again in one of these realms. As humans 98% we will be born in either the realm of Hell or Hungry Ghost or Animal Kingdom or Human (again). If we have been good we might be born in the realm of an Asura or a Heavenly Beings.

This is where remembering and offering ‘good merits’ to our departed love ones or ancestors will become important. For example, your loved one or ancestor was born in the realm of the Hell or Animal Kingdom or Hungry Ghost, by offering good merits to them such as praying for them or chanting mantras or reciting sutras for them will shortened their suffering in the lower realms of Hell or Hungry Ghost or Animal Kingdom. On the other hand, if they were born in the realm of Human, by offering good merits to them their life will be better. If their current life is bad it will become better, if it is already good it will become even better. And if they were born as an Asura or Heavenly Beings then their life will even become better or they maybe pushed up to being born as Arhat or a Pratyekabuddha.

But this is the thing. Days like ‘All Souls Day’ are important because it forced us to remember them on these days. However, it certainly doesn’t mean that we should only remember them on this day. In fact, it is very important that we offer prayers or mantras or sutras or incense to them everyday. And by remembering them and offering merits to them everyday, we in turn make our life better. Because we are interconnected with each other. They may have a totally different life now but because of affinity with each other we are somewhat linked to each other. And if we send them merits, in a way we also get our own merits.

We are at the height of El Niño and all of use here in the Philippines can actually feel the heat. In fact, this is one of the hottest seasons we ever had. Famine because of drought are already happening in the country side and it seems that it is bound to get even worst first before it’ll start to get better.

I’m sure most of you have experienced this tremendous heat and are suffering because of it. The good thing is we are able to take care of ourselves (most of us). Many of us can turn the air – conditioner on and drink lots of water.

This is the season where we can earn some good merits or good karma, although hopefully this should not be our main and primary reason. Because of the heat, a lot of the birds and stray dogs and cats are dying of thirst or heat stroke. It will help a lot if we can put out some water for them.

For the birds, you can put the water on your balcony or outside your bedroom window, or on a tree trunk if you are able to do this. Note that their food might be drying up also because of the heat, so while you’re at it you might want to bring out a little food also. Bird feeds, or fruits will do.

French bulldog drinking water

For the stray dogs and cats, please do put a big flat bowl of water outside your house. This way, a thirsty dog or cat might wander to your place and they will be able to drink some water. Again, while you’re at it you might want to put some food also.

In doing this, you can earn some merit, but more importantly one can help save a life!

In the preceding post, I reminded people about the effects of the #2 Flying Star or Illness Star that also cause accidents. One way, to protect you from it is to wear the Illness Suppression Amulet, and this amulet is proving to be a very useful tool to serve as a shield against the effect of the Illness Star.

However, there is another way of protecting oneself from the effects of the Illness Star, and that is to recite the THE SUTRA ON THE ORIGINAL VOWS AND MERITS OF THE MEDICINE MASTER LAPIS LAZULI LIGHT TATHAGATHA, which is more popularly known as the Medicine Buddha Sutra. But before that, in my previous post called INVITE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE BY RECITING A SUTRA. I talked about the importance and tremendous benefit one may get when reciting a sutra. By reciting, I mean chanting it out load, reading it out loud, reciting it out load. If you can recite it by heart (memory) then all the better because the merit that you get is multiplied by a hundred fold. Personally speaking I have already memorized the HEART SUTRA, THE BUDDHA SPEAKS OF THE EIGHT REALIZATIONS OF GREAT BEINGS SUTRA, THE 42 CHAPTERS SUTRA, and THE MEDICINE BUDDHA SUTRA.

Since this year the ruling star is the Illness Star, reciting the Medicine Buddha Sutra will definitely bring a lot of benefit to all people. One is sure to get good health by simply reciting this sutra. However, more than that as you read the sutra you will know that one of it’s promise is also that you get protected from evil spirits and evil intentions of other people, but more than that you can also attract wealth simply reciting this sutra. Little do people know that Medicine Buddha is not simply for good health and protection but Medicine Buddha is also a powerful Buddha that helps attract wealth. In fact, the Illness Suppression Amulet, while primarily made for protection against the effect of the #2 Flying Star, because of the fact that it is consecrated under Medicine Buddha this means that it is also a good wealth amulet.

You will find the link where you can download the Medicine Buddha Sutra below but I have written about it before and I have written about Medicine Buddha Himself before. I’ll put in the links below.

But it should be noted though that before reciting a sutra, it is customary the one should brush their teeth first and wash their face, it you take a shower better.

Put your palms together and say – NAMO FUNDAMENTAL TEACHER SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA 3X. After that one should say also the Sutra Opening Gatha:

THE DHARMA INFINITELY PROFOUND AND SUBTLE

IS RARELY ENCOUNTERED EVEN UNDER A MILLION OF KALPAS

WE ARE NOW ABLE TO HEAR, READ, AND FOLLOW IT

MAY WE TRULY UNDERSTAND THE TATHAGATHA’S TRUE MEANING

This is basically an invocation for the Buddha Shakyamuni helps you understand the sutra.